Bathing units, such as spas, typically include various bathing unit components that are used in operating the bathing unit system. The bathing unit components generally include pumps that circulate water through a piping system, pumps for activating water jets, at least one heating module to heat the water, a filter system, an air blower, an ozone generator, a lighting system, and a controller that activates and manages the various operational settings of the bathing unit components. Other types of bathing units that have similar components include, for instance, whirlpools, hot tubs, bathtubs, therapeutic baths, and swimming pools.
In addition to bathing unit components used for regulating the operation of the bathing unit system, additional features that provide added entertainment are increasingly being included as part of bathing unit systems. An example of such a feature includes lighting elements for providing visual stimulation to users of the bathing unit system. An example of a lighting element using multicolor LEDs was described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,223 entitled “Multicolor lamp system” issued on Jun. 1, 2004 to B. Laflamme et al. Other features include multimedia elements providing audio and/or video functionality. Examples of audio systems for spas have been described in U.S. patent publication no.: US 2002/0025050 A1, entitled “Spa Audio System Operable With A Remote Control” filed on May 24, 2001 by S. S. Macey; in U.S. patent publication no.: 2004/0047484 A1, entitled “Sound system, a speaker assembly, and a method for providing sound for a spa” filed on Sep. 5, 2003 by W. J. Gardenier et al. and U.S. patent publication no.: 2010/0070059 A1, entitled “Bathing unit control system providing multimedia functionality, telephone functionality and/or data network access functionality and bathing unit system including same” filed on Nov. 16, 2009 by B. Laflamme et al.
Most modern bathing unit control systems include a control panel that is in communication with the bathing unit controller. A user of the bathing unit system can use the control panel in order to adjust and control the activation and settings of the various bathing unit components. It is known in the art to have a user control interface that provides the user with a display screen and buttons for allowing a user to control the functionality of the various bathing unit components.
Traditionally, each operational parameter of a bathing unit is independently set by a user in order to achieve a desired total effect in the bathing unit system. For example, if the user wishes to achieve a relaxed ambiance in the bathing unit, he/she may select low lighting, spa jets at a medium speed, calming music at a low volume and to have the filtration system turned off to reduce the noise level. Each of the parameters is set independently by the user who must choose an operational setting for these parameters using the controls provided on a control interface. This can be a time-consuming and frustrating activity for the user.
A deficiency with controllers and user control panels of the type described above is that they do not provide suitable functionality for allowing the user of the bathing unit system to adjust and activate the desired operational settings for the bathing unit components in a relatively quick and convenient manner.
In order to alleviate this deficiency, various solutions have been proposed in which different sets of operational settings for different bathing unit components can be stored in a memory, each set corresponding to a respective desired total effect (or ambience) for the bathing unit system. In some solutions, a menu driven interface is provided, either at the control panel or via another computing device, through which a user can navigate and be presented with a set of selectable total effect (or ambience) options. Upon selection of one of the presented options, the bathing unit system is caused to apply corresponding operational settings to different bathing unit components in the system in order to achieve the corresponding desired total effect (or ambience). Some examples of solutions of this type are described in U.S. patent publication No. 20140108986 A1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. While some of these solutions may simplify the control of the bathing unit system in order to achieve a desired total effect, options still need to be displayed to the user and/or the user is still required to navigate through a menu-driven interface and/or the user is required to make one or more selections in order for the desired total effect (or ambience) to be achieved in the bathing unit system.
Against the background described above, there is a need in the industry to provide a method and a control panel that further facilitates the control of the operational settings in bathing unit systems that alleviate at least in part the problems associated with existing methods and devices.